Government wants anti-discrimination code for radio broadcasters, advertisers

Published: Monday, February 22, 1999

WASHINGTON (AP) - The government is urging advertisers and broadcasters to adopt a system to prevent advertisers from discriminating against radio stations owned by or geared to minority listeners.

Vice President Al Gore and Federal Communications Commission Chairman Bill Kennard are making the pitch today at an advertising conference in New York.

Their challenge responds to a report, issued by the FCC last month, that said advertisers often bypass or pay less money to minority-owned radio stations or stations targeting black or Hispanic listeners.

At the conference, Kennard plans to suggest that the industries develop a voluntary code guided by, among other things, the principal of "fair competition," said FCC and administration officials, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"Diversity of voices and views is a pillar of our democracy," Gore says in remarks prepared for delivery to the conference via satellite. "That is why we must ensure that our airwaves provide opportunities for all Americans."

The challenge is intended to be a "starting point" for the industry to consider, the officials said.

Thus far, the advertising and broadcasting industries have been open to but noncommittal about developing such a code. The American Advertising Federation is assembling a panel to examine its feasibility.

Gore, who supports Kennard's approach, will call on advertisers and advertising agencies "to make voluntary commitments demonstrating that they understand the value of diversity and the economic logic of serving minority consumers," according to his prepared remarks.

A copy was made available to The Associated Press.

The FCC report, written by the Civil Rights Forum on Communications Policy, an advocacy group based here, recommended that industry adopt a code of conduct that requires decisions about buying ads to be based on market research.

It's unclear what specifically Gore and Kennard would like to see included in such a voluntary code.

Gore also plans to announce the creation of a new interagency working group to examine advertising practices and their impact on minority broadcasters' and minority advertising agencies' ability to compete and thrive.

The FCC, the Federal Trade Commission, the Justice Department, the Commerce Department and the Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy will be part of the working group.

The group is likely to conduct additional research - as Kennard has suggested - on why advertisers are bypassing minority radio stations, the administration officials said.

Anecdotal data in the FCC's report suggested that media's buying processes were guided by ethnic or racial stereotyping.